Custom Tour: Classic Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos for Kelly & Joe
26 Dec 10 Hanoi - Arrival
Arrive on your flight United Airlines (operated by Asiana) flight 1089 (733) departing Seoul at 19:20 and arriving Hanoi at 22:10. Arrive at Noibai airport Hanoi, where you will be met by your guide and transferred to your hotel.
Take a one-hour cyclo tour of this charming capital city through the scenic Colonial Quarter, the Old Quarter of “36 streets of 36 wares” and around Restored Sword Lake.
Attend a Water Puppet Show to experience a truly traditional Vietnamese evening.
Your guide will take you to a local restaurant for dinner.
Meals included: Dinner
Overnight at Sofitel Metropole - 1Double Classic Room
27 Dec 10 Hanoi - City Tour
This morning start by discussing with your guide what you would like to do and see today. There are so many options that we like to leave it up to you and your guide to decide what suits you best. Some interesting highlights that you may want to consider are the Hanoi Hilton, where John McCain and other prisoners were held during the war, it now houses a museum; the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum where you can see Uncle Ho laid out to rest; or if you like art you can visit the Fine Art Museum or see which local galleries are offering shows. The Temple of Literature is always a relaxing area to stroll through and is a great stop before or after lunch which you will have at KOTO, a restaurant benefiting at risk youths. Your guide will be with you all day so discuss what suits you and then have fun!
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch
Overnight at Sofitel Metropole - 1Double Classic Room
28 Dec 10 Halong Bay All Day
Your guide will meet you at your hotel at 7am for your trip to beautiful Halong Bay. Enjoy the 3 ½ hour scenic drive in the comfort of a private, air-conditioned vehicle. Once in Halong City, board a local junk for a 4 hour cruise through the spectacular scenery of Halong Bay with a fresh seafood lunch served on board.
Return to Hanoi in the late afternoon, stopping en route at Dong Trieu village where the famous blue and white pottery is produced before being returned to your hotel.
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch
Overnight at Sofitel Metropole - 1Double Classic Room
29 Dec 10 Hanoi - Day at Leisure
Have a free day to explore on your own.
Meals included: Breakfast
Overnight at Sofitel Metropole - 1Double Classic Room
30 Dec 10 HoiAn - Arrival
Transfer to Noibai airport for your Vietnam Airlines flight VN309 departs Hanoi at 12:15 and arrives Danang at 13:30. You will be met at Danang airport and driven 30 km to HoiAn.
Meals included: Breakfast
Overnight at Nam Hai Hotel - 1Double Villa 1Bedroom Room
31 Dec 10 Hoian - Bike ride through countryside
You will head out from your hotel by bicycle stopping to see some of the highlights throughout Old Town Hoi An. You will then head out of town into the countryside. After exploring all morning you will enjoy lunch with the guide’s family and have traditional food with them; feel free to ask questions and relax, they love to have guests and if you bring some photos from home they would love to hear about your lives as well. Then head back to Hoi An.
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch
Overnight at Nam Hai Hotel - 1Double Villa 1Bedroom Room
01 - 02 Jan 11 HoiAn - Day at Leisure
Have a free day to explore on your own.
Meals included: Breakfast
Overnight at Nam Hai Hotel - 1Double Villa 1Bedroom Room
03 Jan 11 Saigon - Arrival
Drive to Danang (an hour) where you will transfer to the airport for your Vietnam Airlines flight VN325 departing Danang at 12:00 and arriving Saigon at 13:10.
Arrive in Saigon where you will be met and transferred to your hotel.
Meals included: Breakfast
Overnight at Majestic Saigon Hotel - 1Double Colonial Room
04 Jan 11 Saigon - City Tour
Our guides are the experts so we leave you in their hands to decide what you want to see and do today. There are some great markets if you are in the mood to shop or you can visit some of the museums like the History Museum, or some pagodas, like Thien Hau Pagoda and Jade Emperor Pagoda. A more somber attraction is the War Remnants Museum, a very powerful look at the Vietnam/American War. Chat with your guide and decide what suits you!
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch
Overnight at Majestic Saigon Hotel - 1Double Colonial Room
05 Jan 11 Saigon - Cu Chi Tunnels / Meet with Vets
Take a full day excursion out of Saigon. Setting off drive for about 3 hours to Tay Ninh to visit the Cao Dai Great Temple, a unique religion worshiping Jesus, Confucius and Buddha. Enjoy lunch at a restaurant in Ta Ninh.
In the afternoon, continue to drive to the Cu Chi Tunnels. On the way visit a rice-paper making village. Descend into the Cu Chi Tunnels where the guerilla fighters constructed an amazing underground base. Meet and talk with some Vietnamese Veterans about their life in the War. Return to Saigon with an enroute visit to a country market.
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch
Overnight at Majestic Saigon Hotel - 1Double Colonial Room
06 Jan 11 Siem Reap - Arrival
You will be picked up and taken to the airport for your flight - Vietnam Airlines flight VN827 departing Saigon at 11:40 and arriving Siem Reap at 12:40. You will be met by a Journeys Within representative and taken to Journeys Within Bed & Breakfast.
Spend the afternoon relaxing in the garden, cool off in the swimming pool or if you have the energy, take a trip down town and walk around the local market.
Head into town to enjoy a traditional buffet dinner and dance show in the evening.
Meals included: Breakfast, Dinner
Overnight at Journeys Within B&B
07 Jan 11 Siem Reap - Angkor Wat
This morning head to Angkor Wat in an air-conditioned car, or if you choose by bike, with your guide. Explore this majestic temple throughout the morning while it is still cool and has fewer tourists.
Return to Journeys Within for lunch and a nap or refresh with a swim. In the afternoon head to Angkor Thom, the famous walled city and see the many temples within its borders, including the fascinating Bayon temple with its many magnificent faces smiling out. There are several beautiful spots from which to watch the sunset. Discuss with your guide where you would like to be and then relax and enjoy a memorable end to your day at the temples.
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch
Overnight at Journeys Within B&B
08 Jan 11 Siem Reap - Sunrise Kbal Spean & Banteay Srei
Wake up early and head out to watch the sun rise over Angkor Wat, then enjoy a traditional breakfast of tasty noodle soup with the locals at one of the many food stalls.
After breakfast you will head out of town continuing on a dirt road to Kbal Spean. Once there hike for about two hours to get to the “River of a Thousand Lingas.” In ancient times if water ran over lingas it was said to be holy water. The ancient Khmers therefore made thousands of lingas along this riverbed so the water that flowed to their rice fields was blessed. The lingas and other stone carvings remain today. Have fun exploring the surrounding jungle.
Enjoy lunch at the local restaurant. Return to Siem Reap stopping at Banteay Seri, an intricately carved temple known as the Lady Temple.
Later in the afternoon head back to the temples where you will visit Banteay Kdei and Ta Prohm, two of the prettiest temples in the complex. Watch the sunset from inside Ta Prohm or from the Angkor Wat promenade.
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch
Overnight at Journeys Within B&B
09 Jan 11 Siem Reap - Kayaking
Experience a unique Journeys Within day kayaking on the Tonle Sap. You will set out with the rest of the group around 8am and drive for about an hour before boarding a boat for a 40 minute ride to one of the lake villages. Here the homes are built on stilts because, while in the dry season the surrounding area is dry, in the rainy season it is flooded and so they rise above the water level.
You will arrive at the local home that stores our canoes and after a short safety briefing head off with your guide who will lead you thru waterways, flooded forests and out into the Tonle Sap lake where you can take a dip if you wish. Then back to wind thru the village experiencing how the locals live in this watery environment before returning to the home for lunch and a leisurely boat and car ride back to town.
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch
Overnight at Journeys Within B&B
10 Jan 11 Luang Prabang - Arrival + Orientation tour
Transfer to the airport in time to catch your flight - Vietnam Airlines flight VN868 departing Siem Reap at 12:40 and arriving Luang Prabang at 14:05. Upon arrival in Luang Prabang you will be met and transferred to your hotel.
After your arrival in Luang Prabang you’ll be picked up from the airport and driven to the main part of town for a quick orientation tour. Your guide will give you an introduction to the city, showing you the main roads, some restaurants and the night market area, before dropping you off at your hotel to check in.
Meals included: Breakfast
Overnight at Le Residence Phou Vao Hotel - 1Double Garden View Room
11 Jan 11 Luang Prabang - Sunrise to Sunset
Wake-up at sunrise to participate in giving the local monks morning alms. You’ll be accompanied by your guide who can demonstrate the proper method of alms giving and explain this daily Buddhist ceremony.
Return to your hotel for breakfast, after which your guide will take you on a tour of the city, including visits to The National Museum, Wat Xieng Thong, Wat Visun and Wat Sen. Enjoy lunch in town at a restaurant of your choice. After lunch your guide will meet you and you’ll continue your tour, finishing with a hike up Mt. Phou Si in the late afternoon to see a sweeping view of Luang Prabang and watch the sunset.
Meals included: Breakfast
Overnight at Le Residence Phou Vao Hotel - 1Double Garden View Room
12 Jan 11 Luang Prabang - Life on the Mekong
Today you’ll escape the tourist hubs in town and see Luang Prabang through local eyes. First, you will drive up the Mekong to the village of Pak Ou. From here board a small boat and take a tour of the local fishing area, checking traps with the fishermen along the way and collecting any fish you might find.
You will then cross the Mekong by longtail boat to visit the small village of Ban Mueng Keo, known for its production of local whiskey. Here you will be able to watch a demonstration of the whiskey-making process by a local Lao Lao Whiskey producer and, if you’re up for it, sample the finished product for an early morning punch!. Continue on travelling downstream to visit the Pak Ou Caves, famous for the thousands of Buddha statues left inside by pilgrims. Return to Ban Pak Ou, where the former village chief and his family will cook you a Lao-style lunch and you’ll learn about dining customs and etiquette.
After lunch, board a long tail boat and travel along the Mekong for a scenic ride until you reach the small weaving village of Ban Phone Xay, where you’ll enjoy a weaving demonstration and have a chance to purchase handmade items directly from the source. Learn the story behind who really makes the beautiful textiles sold at the night market!
At the end of the day you’ll be the only tourist in town who knows the real story behind the bottles of Lao Lao, the grilled Mekong fish and the night market.
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch
Overnight at Le Residence Phou Vao Hotel - 1Double Garden View Room
13 Jan 11 Luang Prabang - Departure
Transfer to Luang Prabang airport from your hotel in time for your flight - Bangkok Airways PG946 departing Luang Prabang at 15:40 and arriving Bangkok at 17:40.
Arrive in Bangkok and transfer to Novotel Suvarnabhumi Airport Hotel which is situated only 300 meters from the Bangkok International Airport. The Hotel operates a 24 hour free shuttle bus service between the terminal and the hotel. Their shuttle service operates from Gate 4, Level 2 - the Arrivals Level.
Meals included: Breakfast
Overnight at Novotel Suvarnabhumi Hotel - 1Double Room
14 Jan 11 Bangkok - Departure
Check out of the hotel and catch the shuttle to the airport for your flight Thai Airways flight PG 676 departing Bangkok at 08:20 and arriving - .
Meals included: Breakfast